March 12th, at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale was a night of grooving as Sublime tribute band Badfish stopped by. Florida native Roots Shakedown and Mixed Culture kicked off the evening. Roots Shakedown is a four piece from West Palm with a rock reggae vibe, while Mixed Culture boasts a much more roots reggae sound. Both bands were great openers and got the crowd moving in anticipation of Badfish.
With a packed house and the curtain closed the opening chords of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody started and the crowd instantly took to it, loudly singing every word together while dancing and jumping up and down. The curtains opened as the singalong finished and Badfish kicked off their set with Date Rape. The crowd shouted out louder than Badfish singer Pat Downes’ mic could carry. To see a group of people that love Sublime so much come together an d enjoy a night of their greatest hits, is definitely an experience. There was not a quiet moment throughout the entire set, and the crowd was full of strangers high-fiving, hugging, dancing, an d rocking out together. The current Badfish tour is in support of the self- titled Sublime album 's 20th anniversary, playing the album in its entirety (plus some). From Doin’ Time to Caress Me Down to Santeria and of course, finishing with What I Got the crowd did not falter for a moment. Badfish definitely gives their all in these performances and the audience gives it right back. Don't think of Badfish as a Sublime cover band and blow off the chance at their live show, it ’ s definitely more than a band playing a bunch of covers – it's an symbiotic relationship between the band and the crowd that both share a love of Sublime's music that you won't get anywhere else.
